The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-01-04

trict court at Wyandotte. He said the
state expected to prove that on the night o.
the wreck, Knights of Labor held a meet
ing in their hall in Kansas City, Kansas
and that later the six accused men, one OF
them disguised, left the hall and proceed.
ed TO the Missouri Pacific tracks below
Wyandotte; that there Oliver LLOYD drew
the spikes from the rails and removed the
fish plates while Hamilton and the Others
watched and that then they returned to
their hall, and two hours later a freight
train was
PLUNGED INTO THE RIVER
and the fireman, Ben Horton, and a
brakeman, Geo. Carlisle, were killed
When Hamilton was brought into the
court room, he looked cool but became
slightly nervous when the engineer of the
wrecked train began his testimony, and
seemed 10 take great interest in the testi-
mony. Beside him sat his wife, a young
and rather progressing woman. Both
parties stood the ordeal remarkably well
and betrav but little concern or anxiety in
the matter. The sister and widow of Hor-
ton, the dead fireman, came in after the
trial was commenced and occupied seats in
an adjoining room during the morning.
They were both dressed in deep mourning
and looked pale and sad.
THE CONDUCTORS STORY.
Alvin Spaulding, 81 years of age, mar
ried and living in Atchison, was the first
witness called. The witness had lived in
Kansas for FIVE years. He was a freight
conductor on the Missouri Pacific, and was
conductor On the tram wrecked on the
morning of April 26.
On April % the witness left Atchison
with freight train for Kansas City, con-
sisting of seventeen cars, fifteen loaded and
two empties He was in charge of the
train. The crew consisted of Joseph Fow-
Ter, engineer; Ben Horton, fireman, Geo.
Carlisle and Geo. Watron, brakemen.
The train arrived at Wyandotte that
night or rather on the morning of April
&c at 1923. They were in Wyandotte at
800 and in Kansas City at 1886. They
were not more than a minute or two late
IN making Wyandotte. Nothing occurred
until the train arrived at a curve on the |
banks of the Kansas river about half |
mile east of Wyandotte. Here the train
was wrecked.
THE WRECK
occurred between Wyandotte and Kan
sas City, about 200 yards from the bridge |
on which the cars crossed coming to Wy
dotte. 1t was clear but dark morning |
Witness was riding In the caboose. The |
brakemen's place was on the train,
the forward brakemen riding In the
engine and the back brakemen in the ca
boose, unless they were wanted on top of |
the train. When the wreck occurred Fow-
Ter, Norton and Carlisle were on the engine
The engine and three ears left the track.
AS soon as the wreck occurred the witness
took his lantern and rushed dowu to where
the engine lay In the mud of the river bot
tom. He saw Fowler rise up out of the
steam like ghost. The engineer was cut
and bleeding but was not dangerously
hurt.
HORTON :
for some time, but finally found them I'M
der the engine scalded to death. He then
came over to Kansas City and got a wreck.
ing train. Carlisle and Horton were both
dead when he found them. He managed S
to get Horizons body out without much '
difficulty but the engine had to be lacked ]
up and the rock quarried before Carlisle's !
body could be released. The engine Law
partly on the rocks and partly in the mud. =,
They examined the track and found that t
the spikes had been pulled from two rails S
on the curve so that they would turn over t
when II
THE ENGINE STRUCK THEM.
The track at this point curves around
the river with an inside curve or inside of =
the curve of the river. On the right was
high bluff; on the left the river. The
fish plates which bind the ends of the rails :
together had also been removed. The nuts !,
ha / been unscrewed, the bolts taken off
and laid along the track. In this condi-
ton the ends of the rails did not meet on "
the curve, and the fange of the engine a
wheel struck the outside of the rail, ip- :
stead of the inside as it should have done. Il
One of the rails from which the bolts had
been taken was thrown out of place by {
the engine. q
The examination for the state was con- .,
Quoted by Judge Laughlin, of ST. Louis \
THE CRoss-ExAMINATIoN. Il
vas conducted by Mr.. Hutchins, of Wyan- W
lotte, for the defense. The cross examina- W
ion failed to shake Spauldings testimony
n the least, but rather tended to strengthen W
his story. Mr.. Hutchins asked: II
"How fast were you running at the time %
f the accident ?" Ito
WItness-About four or five miles an CO
lour. hC
Mr.. Hutchins-Had you not receive
pecial instructions TO run slow between er
Fyandotte and Kansas City, as it was a fe
iece of very bad track? te
Witness-No.
Mr. Hutchins-Did you not know this in
Tas piece of bad track? D.
Witness-No. We came over the Union M
'aci6c tracks around Wyandotte. We tn
lways run slow because it is dangerous I'll
lace and down grade. We were running SCI
ow that night. CO
Witness was positive that the nuts from hi
ne bolts had bsen unscrewed. Trey were tol
lstv, and he could see where the nuts had DO
nor, The hollis were not hont or tho ho